Meet the South Carolina chefs competing for an international prize

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Three chefs will represent South Carolina in an international food competition in Dallas.

The chefs were selected to join “Team Lake Murray Country” at the Taste of Lake Murray, the South Carolina Super Regional Qualifier event for the World Food Championships, on Thursday, March 2.

The competitive culinary team will now represent the Palmetto State at the 11th Annual Ultimate Food Fight, scheduled for Nov. 8-12 in Dallas, Texas, according to a news release.

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Since 2021, the TOLM annual Fourth of July Celebration fundraiser put on by Capital City/Lake Murray Country has been the South Carolina Super Regional Qualifier for the WFC, according to the release.

This year 20 chefs from around the region were tasked with producing their best samples for over 800-plus guests, all of whom got to vote on their favorite flavors of the night to create “Team Lake Murray Country” through a “people’s choice” process. 

Team Lake Murray Country 2023 is:

• Chris Williams, owner and Chef of Roy's Grille & BBQ Inc. in Irmo (and 2022 South Carolina Chef Ambassador; also, Team Lake Murray Country 2022 — No. 5 Best Sandwich in the World);
• Maegan Horton, executive Chef of Blue Marlin Restaurant in Columbia (and Team Lake Murray Country 2022); and
• Chef Cody Ross, of Smoked in Columbia (and People’s Choice Winner at Taste of Lake Murray 2023).

“We’re excited to send these top 3 chefs to the World Food Championships to represent Lake Murray Country,” said Miriam Atria, President/CEO of CCLMC, in the release. “This is an amazing opportunity for the region and for the state of South Carolina. We are thrilled to bring South Carolina’s cuisine to the world stage for a third year in a row!”

Next, Team Lake Murray County will be assigned to their categories and learn about WFC’s EAT Methodology, which is how more than 8,000 dishes are judged and scored at the main event in Dallas, according to the release. More than 450 teams from 40 states and 10 countries are expected to participate in this year’s tournament, which will feature 10 categories of food.